As much as I try to sound as immaculate as Idina Menzel (or Adele Dazeem, if you wish to Travolta-ize it), I just can’t compete.

Aside from its incredibly catchy tune, the song’s lyrics deliver a powerful and quite obvious message: Let it go. For some reason, however, it’s easier to sing these lyrics than it is to act on them.

I’ve held on to relationships, friendships, jobs, clothing, CDs and stuffed animals simply because I couldn’t stand the thought of what my life would be like without them.

I imagined this emptiness, incompleteness and discomfort without them. I became so dependent on them for my own happiness, and I wasn’t willing to risk losing that feeling.

The idea of letting go of anything isn’t a person’s natural instinct. There comes a point, though, when holding on to something does more harm than good. How do you know when it’s time to let go of something and move on?

It feels like a broken record.

Repetition is a part of life; there are certain things we do on a daily basis that are simply necessary. Some may be more enjoyable than others, but you need to find a way to shake things up the second you feel yourself falling into an unhealthy and unhappy pattern.

If you’ve been experiencing the same BS in a relationship over and over again, maybe it’s time to call it quits for the time being. If the monotony of the work week leaves you feeling dissatisfied and unaccomplished, maybe it’s time to look elsewhere.

If going out to the same restaurants or bars becomes a bore, try somewhere new.

Allowing yourself to settle in your comfort zone is only preventing you from finding out how much you’re truly capable of. It’s easier said than done, but you need to let go of the recurring things that no longer excite you and invite new things into your life that get your blood flowing.

It interferes with your goals.

Everyone has some kind of short or long-term agenda, whether it’s what we want to get done before we go to bed that night or what we hope to achieve five years from now.

If certain people or situations start to get in the way of you achieving those goals — no matter how big or small — you need to leave them behind.

If you feel dependent upon someone or something in order to achieve your goals, it may be time to reassess them. Recognize why you feel as if you can’t achieve them on your own. Chances are, you’ve just been too afraid to try.

It makes you bitter, not better.

Why you’d want to hang onto to someone or something that makes you feel any less than you deserve is beyond me. Been there done that, and trust me, it’s not a fun time.

If you find that you’re becoming a negative Nancy because of people or situations in your life, you owe it to yourself to change that. The worst thing you could let happen is to take that negativity out on other people and things that actually matter to you.

It’s easy to remember: If it doesn’t make you a better person, let it go.

Contributor

Tori is a Jersey girl who fell in love with the beach during her undergrad years at Monmouth University. She’s a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan & loves yoga and cycling almost as much as peanut butter and sushi. Twitter/Insta: torilynnj ...

Tori is a Jersey girl who fell in love with the beach during her undergrad years at Monmouth University. She’s a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan & loves yoga and cycling almost as much as peanut butter and sushi. Twitter/Insta: torilynnj ...